FAQ

About the store

Who runs this store?I do! My wife and I run this store ourselves. We’re a tiny two person business!

Do you have a mailing list?Not currently, but I’m hoping to have one later in 2018

What are you doing to lessen your environmental impact?By virtue of being an online business and needing to ship merchandise all over the world via USPS, there’s only so much I can do.

Where possible I source products made in the U.S. and Canada, reducing my environmental impact shipping overseas as well as ordering from companies that must meet stricter environmental regulations

Currently I use recycled and recycleable bubble mailers and plastic print sleeves. By the end of 2019 I hope to also be using recycled poly mailers.

By 2020 I hope to attend more conventions across the U.S. so customers can buy merchandise in person, reducing the number of products that must be mailed.

By the end of 2020 I hope to be using cardboard made entirely from post-consumer content and plastic that is either biodegradable or recycleable

By the end of 2025 I hope to be using shipping supplies made entirely from biodegradable or recyclable materials, including packing tape and protective cushioning

I would go faster if I could, but before I found a high quality supplier for eco-friendly packing materials I ordered many shipping supplies in bulk, the biggest problem being the 24 rolls of tape. I won’t throw out these supplies because they’ll end up in the same place anyway and I would much rather put them to use before they hit the landfill.

Unfortunately I don’t currently have plans to attend conventions abroad. I would love to do so eventually, but right now I’m focusing on other aspects of my business.

Do you store or sell my data?I will never, ever sell your data. Ever.

Woocommerce automatically catalogs your shipping address, email address, phone number, IP address, amount paid, and items ordered for me to refer to. It does not store payment information beyond “via PayPal” or other payment method. I do not have access to your credit card or other payment information. I do not have access to your password. Since I’m using a third party service, this is all protected.

I store customer postal codes by order year, nothing else, in order to choose new regions to attend events in.

Products

Do you have [X]?If you can’t find it, probably not. If you’re looking for more home goods, stickers, apparel, etc. check out my page on WeejaPeeja! They stock things I don’t have the space or ability to stock like phone cases, leggings, t-shirts, towels, blankets, the list goes on and on. If you’re looking for something WP doesn’t have, and I don’t have, please email mayakern.help@gmail.com and let me know! I’m always looking for new products to put my art on.

I can’t find [X]!Well, there may be a few reasons for this. It might be sold out temporarily or permanently, I maybe have miscategorized it, or maybe you scrolled past it. Try out the search feature (use very simple terms, like mushroom or fantasy), but if you can’t find something, please email me at mayakern.help@gmail.com and I’ll let you know where it is!

How do I review a product?Go to the product page for your purchase and click leave a comment/review! If the product you purchased is no longer available, you can leave a review on a similar product (i.e. if you ordered a skirt that’s no longer in stock, you can leave a review on another skirt to vouch for the quality!)

Do you/will you print your patterns on fabric?I hope so! We had plans to print patterns on fabric in 2018 but after doing some research I found there are pretty steep tariffs for imported fabric, and US-based fabric printers I’ve found don’t have great bulk discounts. I won’t print via spoonflower because I’m not confident I can enforce the rights to my artwork.

Can I use your pattern packs to print on fabric and make clothes for myself?To protect myself, my pattern packs are sold at a very small size. You are welcome to print onto fabric at whatever resolution you want so long as it’s for you and never to be resold, but the pattern will come out very small.

Can I use your digital downloads to resell?No, the pricing for my digital downloads is for personal use only. For commercial use we will have to work out a contract and commercial pricing.

What’s commercial pricing look like?You will need to contact me directly with a full scope of what you intend to use my work for, retail price, where it will be sold, etc. I’m very, very picky with who I allow to redistribute my work, so please don’t be surprised if I deny your request.

Where do you get merch made?This is an awkward question, honestly. Several of my factories/manufacturers can be found easily through the Artist Alley Network International group, and the rest of them can be found on Alibaba. I’m not always comfortable sharing specific factories with people I don’t know, partially because it’s weird and I feel pretty taken advantage of, and partially because I’ve seen a lot of small artists screw themselves over by ordering too much merch too early. Additionally, my wife works hard to find and maintain relationships with manufacturers for myself and other clients, and it’s not my place to compromise her job.

Shipping

How often to you ship?Orders are shipped out at least every week, although as of March, 2018 I’ve been able to process orders every day/every other day. When we’re at conventions shipping will be slower since we aren’t around to ship items!

I purchased a commission, when will it ship?Commissions may add a few weeks onto your shipping time, due to the extra work that goes into processing them. Usually the additional time is a week or less.

I’m ordering from Europe and VAT is super high, can you mark my shipment as a ‘Gift’ instead of ‘Merchandise’?I’m sorry, but no. That’s mail fraud and I could get in serious trouble for that, up to and including jailtime. I’m aware other sellers do this but I’m not willing to risk it, especially with the volume of orders I ship internationally.

What if my package is lost?Contact me if you believe your package is lost, or if your tracking number hasn’t updated in several days! My store email is mayakern.help@gmail.com

Other

I got something extra with my order!
It’s because we like you. If you’re worried there was a mistake, absolutely contact me at mayakern.help@gmail.com, but chances are it was a thank you gift for supporting my tiny business!

Will you be at a convention near me?Maybe! Take a look at my upcoming events here.

Will you be at a convention in my country?Probably not anytime soon. Unfortunately selling merchandise in countries outside the U.S. comes with all sorts of tax oddities that I don’t understand and don’t really want to deal with while I’m focusing on growing my business in other ways. I hope to sell in Canada, Australia, and Europe one day!

I have [X allergy], am I safe?
If you are extremely, extremely allergic to cat or dog dander, you are at risk. I keep my cats away from my products as much as possible, but they’re cats, they come into the room sometimes and their dander gets on my clothes. The dog never comes into the room but his dander does also get on my clothes. I do my best to ensure there’s no cat hair in my orders but I can’t see dander. I keep products in their plastic sleeves where possible, preventing any pet contamination, but accidents do happen and I can’t guarantee my products are free of all pet dander.

I do not use fragrances with my products and I thoroughly wash my hands of any food remnants before packing orders. Any candies sent with orders are sent in sealed bags and I choose non-gelatin gummy candies.

If you have an allergy not addressed here please email me at mayakern.help@gmail.com and I will let you know the risk and come up with a plan to prevent any contamination of your order.